They emerged from a feng shui’d path to a beautiful horseshoe-shaped beach. The G-hut marked one end of the horseshoe, and the other end was a rocky isthmus of volcanic rock. In the way of tropical beaches, the water in the bay was graduated shades of turquoise, ranging from white sand to the color of a romance heroine’s eyes, in other words, a shade of blue that no eye had ever been.
“We could put up an arch over there.” Naomi gestured down the sand toward the isthmus. “With the lava rock and the water, this place has a lot of elemental energy.”
“It’s perfect,” Gabby said. She couldn’t imagine a prettier spot for her pretend wedding.
Beyond the G-hut and the docks, a luxury yacht was in a slip close enough for Gabby to have a good view of the deck. While she took in every detail of the fanciest boat she’d ever seen, Jasmine emerged in a bikini and oversized sunglasses. Her sheer cover-up blew in the breeze like a cape.
Naomi followed Gabby’s gaze. With her eyes locked on the boat, she gasped. “Ohmygod. That would be so cool if G let you get married on the yacht.” Naomi frowned as she considered G’s reaction, which Gabby figured was unlikely.
“G only invites the luckiest inner circle members to theG-Spot. It’s almost brand-new. He bought it, like, a month ago.”
“Did you say the G-spot?”
Naomi smiled. “That’s the yacht’s name.”
Gabby had been looking for the G-spot.
“Sunrise on the yacht. That would be beautiful!” Naomi walked toward the boat as she planned the wedding. “Fairy lights, flowers, a violin player on deck—it would be gorgeous.”
“Sunrise sounds too early for me!” Especially for a fake wedding. Gabby stumbled after Naomi.
“Don’t worry, Gia. After a week of G-shots and balanced living, you’re barely going to need foundation. The initial glow-up is so incredible. I almost want to quit and start over just so I can experience the change again.
“I’m going to see what Jazz thinks,” Naomi said, heading even closer to the boat. Just as Naomi started to call out, Jasmine yelled.
“YOU DID WHAT? How are we going to pay for that?”
“… For you, baby,” G answered.
“No. Absolutely not! We don’t have the money.”
“Money’s not a problem. Look at us—” He gestured to the surroundings.
She stomped down a staircase in a huff, but he followed. “We have each other. What more could we need?”
Gabby strained to hear more, but they were now behind closed doors.
“I’m sorry you heard that. Sometimes helping everyone else can wear on our leaders.”
Gabby smiled, but that sounded like more than a healthy airing of grievances. She’d been there with Phil. He’d tried to buy their way to happiness with things too, as if a bigger TV and a Weber grill could save their marriage. The only ones who really came out ahead in that situation were their creditors.
You can’t buy happiness if you’re putting it on a credit card. If you’re going to buy happiness, you probably need cash.
Before afternoon yoga, Gabby snuck back to the cottage for some internet sleuthing.
She foundThinkPieceon Substack, a platform Gabby wasn’t quite hip enough to be familiar with. It seemed like Etsy for journalists.
There was nothing specifically about the president in Amanda’s list of recent posts, and no article about Inner-G. Believe it or not, there was something about Sheridan. Amanda, apparently, had broken the news that the president had a psychic and had proceeded to dig into the implications for democracy. Gabby hadn’t realized there were any.
The President’s Psychic
President Simon staunchly defends his choice to consult a psychic on any matter he so chooses, personal or policy. “Sheridan has more common sense than my entire cabinet put together. She’s logical, and she doesn’t get bogged down with emotion. She’s my most clear-headed advisor. Sheridan might be a woman, but she’s the best man I know.”
Which is the crux of the problem. Our president isleaning on a psychic to make decisions that carry national and international consequences. She wasn’t elected. She wasn’t appointed and cleared by Congress. She doesn’t even have an appropriate security clearance. President Simon found her on the internet, and she’s weighing in on national policy.
No one cares except a fewNPRlisteners, who, for the most part, seem to like her. She does seem to be smarter than the people in charge. But still, maybe she should run for office herself, instead of influencing politics through tarot.
Well, this was a hot take Gabby hadn’t known was there. Amanda was low-key saying that Sheridan was puppeteering the president, like she was Dick Cheney or something.
